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Airport Security

David Cairns: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions what steps he is taking to monitor the security of airports abroad and to publish advice on this issue to British nationals. [30520]

Mr. Jamieson: Under international law, host states are responsible for the security applied to civil aircraft leaving the state. However, my Department closely monitors the security afforded to and carried out by UK carriers at overseas airports. My Department is also working closely with our international partners to increase the existing minimum international standards for aviation security.

We do not discuss security measures at airports, but the Foreign and Commonwealth Office website contains helpful information to travellers about safety and other matters.

British Waterways

Mr. Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions if he will make a statement on what powers British Waterways has to grant itself planning permission and to carry out works in a conservation area without being subject to the normal planning procedures. [33127]

Ms Keeble: British Waterways has no powers to grant itself planning permission but does enjoy permitted development rights under Part 17 of schedule 2 to the Town and Country Planning (General Permitted Development) Order 1995 which enable it to carry out certain development in relation to canal or inland navigation undertakings without having to apply for planning permission.

Greenfield Sites

Mr. Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions if he will make a statement on whether the Government had carried out a national audit of greenfield allocations to complement the national land use database of brownfield sites. [33426]

Ms Keeble: The Government have not carried out a national audit of greenfield allocations to complement the national land use database of brownfield sites. Our planning policies for housing give priority to re-using previously-developed land within urban areas in preference to the development of greenfield sites. We set up the national land use database to help local authorities establish how many additional homes can be built in urban areas on brownfield sites.

Mr. Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions how many hectares of greenfield land previously allocated for housing in local plans and unitary development plans have been de-allocated since 7 March 2000. [33425]

Ms Keeble: The Secretary of State is a statutory consultee in the preparation of development plans and through the Government offices has been examining emerging plans carefully to identify unnecessary greenfield releases. Just over 300 objections to plans on PPG3 grounds were made in the period 1 April 2000 to 31 March 2001. Information on the hectarage of greenfield de-allocations is not collected centrally.

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Starter Home Initiative

Chris Grayling: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions how the building land for the Starter Home Initiative is being sourced. [32656]

Ms Keeble: The majority of Starter Home Initiative assistance will help key workers to purchase an existing dwelling. Beyond this, scheme providers will obtain building land from purchases from the private sector, local authorities and other public bodies.

Chris Grayling: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions how many people in the Epsom and Ewell constituency have benefited from the Starter Home Initiative for key workers; and what the (a) average and (b) total amount granted is. [32654]

Ms Keeble: The Starter Home Initiative allocations announced on 6 September 2001 included a Surrey-wide scheme, including Epsom and Ewell constituency, to help 398 key workers and in addition a dedicated scheme for Epsom and Ewell covering seven key workers. The grant that has been allocated to these two schemes over the three years 2001–02 to 2003–04 averages £17,605 per person.

Bidding guidance for the Starter Home Initiative Equity Loan scheme, announced on 16 January 2002, proposed help for a further 79 key workers across Surrey.

Worcestershire Structure Plan

Mr. Luff: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions on what grounds Government Departments may disregard the Worcestershire Structure Plan when considering the location of a new facility built by departments or their agencies; and if he will make a statement. [33063]

Ms Keeble: The non-statutory procedures set out in DOE circular 18/84 that deal with development by Crown bodies make it clear that if any development proposal would constitute a departure from the development plan, it must be dealt with like an application for planning permission for similar development and be subject to the same arrangements for advertisement and notification to my Department. If the Secretary of State decides that the proposal should be the subject of a non-statutory public inquiry and subsequent consideration by him, the local planning authority will be informed. The development plan comprises both the adopted structure plan and the local plan where applicable.

Community Transport Services

Judy Mallaber: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions when the proposed regulations extending fuel duty rebate to community transport services will come into force. [33071]

Ms Keeble: Following consultation with relevant organisations last year, we will be bringing forward regulations within the next few weeks with the intention of introducing this new entitlement as early as possible in 2002–03.

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Concessionary Fare Schemes

Mr. Andrew Turner: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions (1) what the gross cost is in each local authority of concessionary fare schemes at the most recent date for which information is available; and what the cost is per (a) resident, (b) resident aged 60 years or over and (c) bus passenger mile in each local authority; [33635]

(2) what the anticipated gross cost would be to each local authority of concessionary fare schemes following implementation of the proposals in the Travel Concessions (Eligibility) Bill [Lords]; and what the cost would be per (a) resident, (b) resident aged 60 years or over and (c) bus passenger mile. [33646]

Ms Keeble: The information can be obtained only at disproportionate cost.

Mr. Andrew Turner: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions if he will list by local authority those areas in which pensioners travel concessions are available (a) offering nil fares, (b) offering half fares and (c) offering concessions amounting to less than half fares. [33788]

Ms Keeble: The Transport Act 2000 requires that from 1 June 2001 local authorities provide their resident pensioners with at least half-fares on local buses. Some local authorities using their discretionary powers have more generous schemes.

Ferries

Mr. Peter Duncan: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions if he will list the ferry crossings from mainland Great Britain that are in receipt of central Government financial support; and if he will give the extent of that support in each case, in each of the last three years. [33072]

Mr. Spellar: Her Majesty's Government do not subsidise ferry crossings. The Scottish Executive subsidise lifeline ferry services in the Scottish highlands and islands for which they are accountable to the Scottish Parliament. Responsibility for expenditure on such services prior to the introduction of devolution on 1 July 1999 lay with the Secretary of State for Scotland.

Crossrail

Chris Grayling: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions whether it is his policy to allow funding for Crossrail to be raised through a public bond issue. [32939]

Mr. Spellar [holding answer 4 February 2002]: No decisions have yet been taken about the most appropriate method of procuring any Crossrail scheme.

Channel Tunnel Freight Services

Mr. Don Foster: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions (1) what plans he has to increase the number of freight services using the channel tunnel; and if he will make a statement; [29582]

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(2) what action has been taken since the meeting with the head of security for the French railways on 3 December last year to accelerate implementation of the measures needed to restore the number of freight services through the channel tunnel to pre-7 November 2001 levels. [29583]

Mr. Jamieson: I refer the hon. Member to the answer given to the hon. Member for Brentwood and Ongar (Mr. Pickles) on 30 January 2002, Official Report, columns 322–23W.

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